1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flat cable connector for electrically connecting two members, in which one rotates with respect to the other, such as a steering wheel and steering column of an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Conventionally, a flat cable connector of the following type is known. A rotor and a stator forms an annular space therebetween so as to accommodate a flat cable in the annular space by winding it spirally. One end of the flat cable is fixed to the rotor and the other end thereof is fixed to the stator so as to electrically connect the rotor and the stator with each other.
In the flat cable connector of the above type, the flat cable is tightened or loosened according to the rotation of the rotor with respect to the stator. As a result, the diameter of the spirally wound flat cable is varied. Therefore, the area of the annular space is large enough to accommodate the loosened flat cable.
However, since the annular space is a little large with respect to diameter of the loosened flat cable, the flat cable is movable in the interior of the flat cable connector mounted on a steering device due to the vibration of an automobile body. When the winding condition of the flat cable is varied due to the rotation of the steering wheel, there may be a frictional contact in the flat cable, in which case, a sound is generated.